The 2-Party System

Republican symbol (left) and Democrat symbol (right).

Since the 1850s, Democrats and Republicans have been the parties that hold most of the power in our government. While the ideals of each party have evolved, the major issue with them has stayed the same—they are holding back democracy.

The views of each party simply don’t reflect those of the people, and there isn’t much of a viable alternative. Regarding Republicans, extremists infiltrating the party have disenfranchised the historically more moderate, free-market Republicans. Republicans who simply want lower taxes are put into the same party as fanatical conspiracy theorists and white supremacists, which doesn’t make sense.

As for the Democrats, it’s hard to pinpoint their true values. They say they support the working class, yet leading Democrat Joe Biden signed a bill blocking a railroad union strike in 2022. On top of that, members of the party who hold beliefs that go against the status quo are ostracized and silenced.

So what’s the alternative…vote Independent? The fact is, Independent candidates simply don’t have enough funding or recognition to be elected. Only three out of 100 Senators are Independent, and there are no Independents in the House. Through funding, the Democratic and Republican parties keep themselves in power, even if 41% of Americans consider themselves Independent (Gallup).

American politics are frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Germany, India, Norway, and Israel all have multi-party systems. In Israel, there are ten different parties that share seats in their legislature. This allows a greater variety of opinions to exist in government, and it allows your vote to have more of a say. While a multi-party system won’t solve all the problems in our political system, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.